Voxel Space

Voxel Space

Developer(s)	NovaLogic, Kyle Freeman
Type	3D graphics engine
Website	www.novalogic.com

Voxel Space was a voxel raster graphics rendering engine invented by NovaLogic developer and vice-president of technology, Kyle Freeman. ^{[1] [2]} The company was issued a patent for the technology in early 2000. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

History

The original Voxel Space engine was patented in 1996, and first released in software in the 1992 release Comanche: Maximum Overkill . The engine was then revamped into Voxel Space 2 (which supports the use of polygons as well as voxels, and was used in Comanche 3 and Armored Fist 2 ), ^[6] and later Voxel Space 32 and used in Armored Fist 3 and Delta Force 2 .

Based on Kyle Freeman's experience with voxels in medical-imaging technologies used in CT scan ^[7] and MRI scanners, similar technology was used in games such as Outcast . With the advance of computation power in modern computers there do exist browser-based versions of similar technology based on the Voxel Space terrain rendering used in Comanche . ^[8]

The version of the engine used in the Comanche series utilized ray-tracing every pixel of the volumetric terrain data.^{[ citation needed ]}

Versions

• Voxel Space 3D:
• Voxel Space 2:
• Voxel Space 32: 32-bit rendering, 16 million color support, 360 degrees of transformation. ^[9]

List of games

The technology was used in a number of commercial game titles: ^[10]

• Werewolf
• Comanche series
• Delta Force series

References

1. "NovaLogic Awarded Patent for Unique 3-D Graphics Engine; Voxel Space 2 Becomes Game Publisher's Third Patented Invention. - Free Online Library". thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
2. "Beyond Triangles – GigaVoxels Effects in Video Games" (PDF). 17 August 2009. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
3. "Voxel's Unite in Graphic Glory as NovaLogic is Issued Patent - IGN". ign.com. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
4. "Gamasutra - Nova Logic Patented". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
5. "patent US6020893A, System and method for realistic terrain simulation". patents.google.com.
6. "NG Alphas: NovaLogic". Next Generation . No. 20. Imagine Media. August 1996. pp. 62–63.
7. Schuytema, Paul (July 1994). "The Wizard of Voxels". Hex, Bugs & Rock 'N Roll. Computer Gaming World. pp. 140–144.
8. "Voxel Space in the game Comanche". GitHub. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
9. "FlightSim.Com - NovaLogic Awarded Patent For Voxel Space Graphics Engine". flightsim.com. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
10. "NovaLogic: Legal Information". novalogic.com. Retrieved 2015-08-13.